What are Outcomes…
Growing up short, I always had tall friends. And younger than everyone anyway, I found myself more aligned with the class even ahead of mine. So it was unsurprising that as I engaged in Debate class as a Sophomore, my “mentor” was John – a tall, thin Senior. And our hair became a thing – he had to cut his to be less than shoulder length… and I had to grow mine out to be at least over my ears 😉
We hear a lot about Outcomes these days, and one of the reasons I wanted to write about Cat is that his career has a lot of ups and downs. As you saw in Decisions last week, he was once again on the upswing. By the end of this week, the Outcomes take a very different tack in his life. The soundtrack of the music and my life rarely sync up so completely, and I remember these albums coming out, and hearing some deep meanings that were obvious… at least to me…
… do they Tease you?
Teaser and the Firecat was Cat’s next album, and similarly featured his artwork on the cover. Almost exactly a year after Tea for the Tillerman, this album featured songwriting and production skills that sold out concerts around the globe. It ranked as the number 3 album in the UK and the US, and the album of the year in Australia. It was also the title of a children’s book of the same title that featured the story of the main characters trying to put the moon back up in the sky after it had fallen down.
The track for today was to be Cat’s first top 10 hit in the US… and came to him while riding on a train in London, thinking about Alfred Hitchcock. What Al had to do with Peace is hard to discern, but much has been written about this song both in that era and since. In 2006, during the Iraq War, he said, “Peace Train is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.”
What Outcomes engage you…
My Debate mentor John’s Dad was a prominent local Judge, and very well respected in the powerful legal community in East Texas. His long hair and general protest stance did not sit easily with his family or that community in the early ‘70s. But he was a crackerjack debater, winning tournaments regularly. Before I could technically compete, I would go and observe him, and the speed at which he could talk was just amazing… laying out complex arguments quickly, efficiently, and with an engaging style. I picked up many of his mannerisms and became a 2nd Negative, mostly because John showed me how much fun it could be to disassemble people’s plans…
…and I can only imagine the pressure it put on John to be the son of a Judge, expected to go into the “family” business, his “future” settled here in High School. We are all following paths created for us in one way or another… looking back, we often see where Outcomes could be changed. I find it most helpful to focus that energy on … ourselves. We are here now… and we got here primarily through Decisions reflected on last week. If there are gaps between where we are now and where we want to be, I believe it is up to us to start the work. If you want to be the change everyone claims to be, that will not be the person that got you here. It will be the person that is needed… out there… In the future. A future that will require each of us to heal and somehow work together towards… what?
… for the journey towards them?
As we engage this week, I picked this song because of its invitation, and for the major/upbeat key for most of the song. We can find a lot of things to complain about, and where Outcomes and our disagreements remain… and the positive energy of change is what I hope will become more contagious. It is subtle, and like many of the songs Cat crafted in this era, it hooks you with simplicity. Join us… Get your bags together, Go bring your good friends, too ‘Cause it’s getting nearer, It soon will be with you. Peace Train, getting stronger.
